Actor Tom Cruise paid tribute to the late NASCAR driver Kyle Busch at a driver's meeting at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, August 30, 2026, before announcing that a sequel to his 1990 film "Days of Thunder" is in the works. Cruise is set to reprise his role as Cole Trickle in the new film, which is slated for a 2028 release.
Cruise noticed an empty chair set aside for Busch as he took his seat at the meeting. Photographers captured the actor patting the chair in a gesture honoring the driver, who died in May 2026 at the age of 41 from pneumonia-inflicted sepsis. Busch's death deeply impacted the NASCAR community.
Actress Anne Hathaway was pictured with Cruise in an image announcing the film, though her role in the project, which has just entered development, remains unclear.
The racing world has continued to mourn Busch, often known as "Rowdy," with tributes occurring at tracks nationwide. His widow, Samantha Busch, recently spoke at the Carlos Rodon Foundation's Third Annual Willow Gala in New York City. She was honored with the Seeds of Hope Award for her support of in vitro fertilization treatments and spoke emotionally about her late husband, with whom she had two children via IVF. Samantha described his death as "the greatest heartbreak of my life."
